Grey Matters

This week, Terry Prone and Fergus Finlay dive into the overlooked contribution of grandparents who are shaping the lives of the majority of Irish parents.  

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This week, Terry and Fergus answer your questions, from health regimes, book recommendations and future episode topics. To submit a question or comment, email [email protected]

Books mentioned in episode:

The Thursday Murder Club by  Richard Osmond.

The Spy Coast by  Tess Gerritsen.

A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle.

When does family support cross the line into exploitation? In this weeks episode, Terry Prone and Fergus Finlay tackle what may be the most pressing issue facing older people today: the right to privacy and dignity when living with dementia.

In episode three, Terry and Fergus debate on one of the most controversial questions around ageing: what’s wrong with vanity and why is older women’s vanity judged so harshly? Speaking candidly about her own facelifts, Botox and fillers, Terry argues that cosmetic surgery is not about superficial beauty but about fighting back against ageism and workplace discrimination. Exploring the hypocrisy around “ageing gracefully”, the risks of Ireland’s largely unregulated cosmetic surgery industry, and why for many women, looking younger is a matter of professional survival, not ego.

On this weeks episode Terry and Fergus confront one of the most deeply embedded and ‘lazy’ assumptions in Irish life: that retirement at 65 is inevitable, desirable and beyond question.

In their first episode, Terry and Fergus discuss ageing in Ireland, from being stereotyped and feeling invisible, to whether older people should give up their homes to aid the housing crisis, and the double standards faced by older women around “ageing gracefully.”